beauty reviews & other musings

March 8, 2018March 8, 2018

Makeup Revolution Conceal & Define

Makeup Revolution are really hitting their stride right now – the brand has always been good at ridiculously cheap powder products, duping high-end palettes for the face and the eyes with surprising quality. Their complexion and base products, on the other hand, have never stood out – until now.

We’re only a couple of months into 2018, and the brand has already launched one of the most hyped-up products in recent time – the Conceal and Define Liquid Concealer. From what I can tell, there are several reasons why the hype is so strong with this product:

The price – £4 is hard to beat, especially when concealer is (for most people) an everyday essential that’s bound to run out quickly.

The shade range – off the back of Tarte’s recent foundation controversy, consumers are choosing to champion those brands that actually make an effort when it comes to inclusivity (after all, we live in a post-Fenty Beauty society). Conceal and Define comes in 18 different shades, with a good distribution of light and deep tones. Of course, there’s room for improvement, but 18 is a very good place to start, especially at the drugstore (side-eyeing Bourjois and their three shades…).

The (inevitable) Shape Tape comparisons – I love Tarte’s Shape Tape, so do A LOT of people. It’s mega-full coverage and budge-proof, which for me is what I want in a concealer (both under the eyes and around the face). Conceal and Define was hit with instant dupe comparisons owing to the fat doe-foot applicator and the claims of full and flawless coverage. Having tried both concealers, I can make a judgement on how close it comes in terms of “dupeness” (yes, I just made that word up). Spoiler: they’re pretty different.

Makeup Revolution make loads of claims about the concealer on their website – and they’re all pretty standard. Conceal and Define is supposed to be:

Lightweight

Full coverage – for blemishes, uneven skin tone and dark circles

Long-wearing and matte

Intensely pigmented

Non-settling (into pores and fine lines)

The brand also says that many different skin undertones will be covered by the shade range – I couldn’t get hold of the lightest one (C1) due to the obviously crazy rate at which these sold out in store and online, so I ended up with C2. It’s a little yellow and a touch too deep for me, but I managed to make it work.

First impressions – the packaging is good. Not knocking my socks off, but I appreciate how simple and unassuming it looks, with a metallic pink label and cap. The total volume of the tube comes to 3.4ml (decidedly less than Shape Tape’s 10ml) which is actually quite small for a concealer, and a lot of the tube is taken up by the wand. The doe-foot applicator itself is very spongy, with a little well to collect extra product – it’s slimmer and taller than the one on Shape Tape but still nice to use without any dragging on the skin.

The formula was surprisingly thin, and you don’t get the instant wow of super full coverage (so it’s nothing like Shape Tape), and really easy to distribute under the eyes and around the face. It spread out and blended really well, without setting too fast or feeling drying or staying dewy/tacky. I don’t think this is quite heavy-duty enough for blemishes, especially those massive stubborn ones that take over my face from time to time. Straight off the bat, this isn’t a Shape Tape dupe – still, I think the light texture allows it to perform better around the nose and chin than Shape Tape, and not get too cakey. It seemed to interact well with various other base products too (foundation, powder), oxidising ever so slightly on me.

The longevity of concealers is something I really struggle with, being oily-skinned – I’m pleased to report that this held up really well, with minimal undereye creasing, although it’s not bulletproof (nothing will ever hold up against my insanely oily nose and T-zone).

As I mentioned earlier, this isn’t a dupe for Shape Tape. Both concealers have similar wands, but the formulas differ too much – Tarte’s concealer is just so much thicker and heavier, whereas Conceal and Define is easier to work with, but not quite as full coverage (or Instagram-friendly). Factoring in the prices and sizes of both, Conceal and Define works out at £1.18 per ml – almost half of Shape Tape’s £2.20 per ml (RRP £22 from the UK website). What’s great about having a concealer at this price is the option of buying multiple shades for contouring and highlighting, which Makeup Revolution do suggest on their website. I’ve tried a lot of crap drugstore concealers (and some good ones), and I think this lines up well with the cheaper end of things, along with Collection’s Lasting Perfection.

It’s a solidly good concealer. I wish there was a bit more coverage, as it’s not quite there for hiding blemishes, but the lighter texture makes it ideal for correcting around the face and keeps the overall effect pretty natural. There are two places to pick this concealer up – although many of the shades are probably still sold out. Most Superdrug stores should be stocking it, and it’s available online here from their website, and here directly from TAM Beauty (who own Makeup Revolution).